October 2020
1 Kudo
Hi sch Just decided to look through the posts and I'm happy to say that so far so good. Since the 2018 diagnoses I had another scare they sd i had thyroid cancer. Apparently on the PET scan that area lit up but following a total thyroidectomy it was all clear. I've had lots of fatigue and that horrible neuropathy that makes walking hard. Still not back at work hoping to return next year. I'm looking forward to Christmas hoping to see family in Victoria!!! How are you going?
... View more
March 2019
Hi Georgie, my wife was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer a bit over a year ago now. We both was just 12 months into our marriage (best day of my life) and had been planning to purchase our first home. As the weeks went on, the pains she had looked over herself had gotten a lot worse ending up her and myself right next to her on the bathroom floor both of us just baffled as the doctors weren’t to sure and cancer was not at all expected not mentioned and even thought about. A colonoscopy had been booked in as the waiting for that felt like forever they was most surrounded that she had Chrohnes disease which is also a terrible thing to live thru. The day they had performed the colonoscopy wasnt the the best of news and had both of us really in shock and I don’t think I was aware about what was happening until the next day I had seen her so upset and scared as she had told me over the phone that they have found a mass of cancer that’s completely blocked the bowel. Last year in October, she had the HIPEC surgery done at the RPA in Sydney. It was a very nervous time for herself and her loved ones. They also had to do a hystorectomy which we had already been told and we had been told that IVF was to late to be able to do anything with her reproductive organs 😞 It’s now been 5 months since the HIPEC. She has had to have the wounds dressed daily from the community nurses who come out place and they all do a great job. She has been admitted into hospital about 3 times in the past 2 months with pains in her back and the oncologist had removed fluid from her lungs and sent to the labs to be tested. She had 1 round of chemo before the surgery. Also about 3 weeks ago she had 1 session of chemo and had knocked her around and had to stay in there for 2 weeks. Today we both have had to relive the reality with her biopsy results and have been told the cancer is now in her lung and will be starting chemo as soon as the collapsed lung has healed. I honestly have not been able to get my head around everything she has been through. But positive attitude has help a lot and i also have a very brave wife who would run rings around any big bad blokes I’ve met who try and act all tuff. She is a fighter and she also is doing all she can to raise awareness by sharing her story to get anyone’s attention about her story. I may have written a lot more than I should have but i have not been able to say or right her story in a short version without any tears. A day has not gone by since that day last year without me having to cry. Thanks for reading 🙂
... View more
November 2018
1 Kudo
Hello Haley, I am 46 and was diagnosed with a GBM brain tumour June of 2017 after having a seizure out of the blue. I was rushed to hospital and by the end of the week it had been debulked . The doctors gave me 18 months to live and I came out of surgery partially paralysed. I started radiotherapy/chemotherapy at the end of the 6 week course of radiotherapy I could hardly walk. I then had a fall, had a MRI done and the tumour had already returned. I had it debulked again even though my neurosurgeon said I would be definitely paralysed. I came out with the same movement as before. Coming out of hospital late September 2017 I went straight to my chemo oncologist(who had just come back from leave) as I wanted to start the next cycle of chemotherapy which was double the dose I was on when doing radiotherapy. He told me it was useless as it had come back so quickly. I Changed oncologist and she listened to what I wanted to do and I started the chemo once my wound had healed. I have now done 15 cycles of chemo and even though my white blood cell count dropped last cycle I am still travelling well, yes I get tired but it’s not that bad. My neurosurgeon can’t believe how well I am doing, there has been no sign of a return of the tumour and the cavity has even shrunk. He did tell me not to read anything about it as I won’t like what I read. Everyone is different but I have no problem reading about it or taking about it. I read up about what foods are good for my platelets and my white blood cells and then put them into my diet. Don’t know if they do any good but at one stage my platelets got low changed my diet and they went up and stayed up for 6 months. Sorry if I have rambled on but I have been through a lot over the last 18 months and there is a lot more that I haven’t touched on. If you have any questions about what I have experienced please ask I am willing to talk about it. Be strong and take care Colin
... View more